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Tag Archives: “MOM” at Scrap Metal Gallery Toronto

KATHLEEN McCAIN ENGMAN, Charlie’s mom, is on the cover of the CONTACT catalogue, on billboards at Dupont and Davenport, and on the walls of TORONTO’s Scrap Metal Gallery. Her son is presenting the wide-ranging breadth of his longtime project – taking photos of his mother, clothed and unclothed.

Chicago-born Charlie – now based in Brooklyn – is a sought-after fashion photographer. Once an official shoot is over, his mother might show up and try on the same clothing worn by a much younger model. The results can be startling.

Through her son’s lens, we’re presented with a middle-aged mid-American woman, with her experimental expressions, appearing as an alien who has touched down and landed in our yard. Mother, is that you? Ms. Engman sells the unsettling, and she’s good at it. – from a writeup by Rui Mateus Amarat